This red fox thought we were going to feed her--not!Copyright 2007 Lydia Hinshaw
DENALI NATIONAL PARK, AK -- Obviously somebody in our neighborhood has been feeding the wildlife, a major no-no.
Prince Charming and I returned from dinner out Tuesday to find this red fox in front of the cabin next door to ours. Our neighbor, Beth, was on her porch, cooing baby-talk to the fox. I had the good camera in the car and I began firing away.
A young man working at the bus-yard across from us yelled that the fox's name is Foxy Lady, and that she has raised a litter of kits nearby. She had no fear of us at all, simply staring at Beth, and later walking up to within four feet of me.
After several minutes, Foxy Lady got the message that none of us were giving any handouts, and she left to try her luck elsewhere.
Every day I remind my passengers that they should never feed wildlife, because it teaches animals to depend on humans for food. In the case of bears -- and in Florida, alligators -- this can have tragic consequences.
As for this fox, she's not going to try to eat a human, though she might try to heist his lunch. But Foxy Lady lives in an area that, in a month, will be a boarded-up ghost town. She needs to be practicing her hunting skills, not begging at our doors.
Prince Charming and I returned from dinner out Tuesday to find this red fox in front of the cabin next door to ours. Our neighbor, Beth, was on her porch, cooing baby-talk to the fox. I had the good camera in the car and I began firing away.
A young man working at the bus-yard across from us yelled that the fox's name is Foxy Lady, and that she has raised a litter of kits nearby. She had no fear of us at all, simply staring at Beth, and later walking up to within four feet of me.
After several minutes, Foxy Lady got the message that none of us were giving any handouts, and she left to try her luck elsewhere.
Every day I remind my passengers that they should never feed wildlife, because it teaches animals to depend on humans for food. In the case of bears -- and in Florida, alligators -- this can have tragic consequences.
As for this fox, she's not going to try to eat a human, though she might try to heist his lunch. But Foxy Lady lives in an area that, in a month, will be a boarded-up ghost town. She needs to be practicing her hunting skills, not begging at our doors.
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